Berlusconi sentenced to jail

AC Milan president and former Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has received a four-year prison sentence for his part in a tax fraud scandal.

The 76-year-old, along with 10 others, was on trial after it was alleged the defendants were involved in a scheme to purchase American movies for his company Mediaset, through an offshore company, and had failed to declare payments properly to avoid taxes.

It was also claimed that Berlusconi had re-licensed the films, and pocketed the difference, making the Milan supremo some 250 million euros.

Berlusconi has been involved in a number of legal procedures relating to his business ventures, but has either been cleared, or the cases have been dropped due to time constraints.

However, this time he has been found guilty and will spend the next four years behind bars, though his legal team is widely expected to appeal the verdict.

Berlusconi served as prime minister of the country between 1994 and 1995, 2001 and 2006, and 2008 and 2011, but recently announced that he was not going to run for a fourth spell.

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